How to Surf the Web Better & More Reliably

If you have trouble with Internet Explorer, the good news is that you can typically get going on your own by following a few simple steps.

Unusually slow browsing with Internet Explorer

If you are having problems with the way some sites appear, or if the Web seems unusually slow, you may need to clear your browser’s cache.

To clear the browser cache in Internet Explorer:

Open Internet Explorer.

On the Tools menu, select Internet Options.

Click the Delete Files button.

Check the box next to Delete all offline content.

Click the OK button.

Unable to access any Web sites with Internet Explorer

If you have an active Internet connection but are unable to browse any sites, try disabling any proxy settings. (NOTE: Proxy settings may be needed for certain Internet programs to work.) Here’s how to disable proxy settings:

Open Internet Explorer.

On the Tools menu, select Internet Options.

On the Connections tab, select your EarthLink connection in the Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings list, and then click Settings.

Uncheck the box next to Use a proxy server, then click OK.

On the Connections tab, click LAN Settings.

Uncheck the box next to Use a proxy server for your LAN, then click OK.

Click OK again to close the Internet Options screen.

Unable to access some Web sites with Internet Explorer

Check that your browser is capable of opening Web pages using 128-bit encryption. One or both of the following processes should fix any encryption issues.